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Province funds Thunder Bay training centre

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is spending $1 million for a new trades training building in Thunder Bay.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is spending $1 million for a new trades training building in Thunder Bay.

The money will be used to relocate the Carpenters' Local 1669 Training Centre to the Innova Business Park and construct a modern training facility.

The new building will have two classrooms, an open workshop space with common areas and offices. It an updated skills curriculum and courses with specialized equipment will be offered.

In an Aug. 30 news release, the government said the new facility will help meet the demand for skilled tradespeople and construction trades training.

“The Carpenters’ Local 1669 Training Centre is committed to investing in construction trades training and having a highly-skilled workforce here in the northwest,” said Wayne Sohlman, president of Carpenters’ Local 1669 in a news release. “Projects completed safely, injury free, on time and on budget will benefit all and strengthen northwestern Ontario’s economy and construction industry.”

“It is imperative that our province and the trades industry have a properly trained, highly skilled, modern workforce from which to draw upon. By supporting projects such as the construction of the Carpenters’ Local 1669’s new training facility in Thunder Bay, we are achieving that goal while helping retain highly skilled workers in the northwest,” added Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and chair of the fund.